Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have formally triggered their withdrawal from the International Criminal Court, deepening a political and diplomatic rupture between the three juntas and Western-backed multilateral institutions.

The ICC confirmed it has received official notifications from the three Sahel states, starting a year-long process to leave the Rome Statute, the treaty that created the court. Until that withdrawal takes legal effect, the court retains jurisdiction over crimes committed on their territories or by their nationals while they were members.

The move follows months of escalating tension. The military authorities in Ouagadougou, Bamako and Niamey accuse the court of selective justice and interference, describing it as a tool of neocolonial repression that disproportionately targets African leaders while powerful non-members face little scrutiny.

All three countries have broken with the regional bloc ECOWAS and formed their own security and political grouping, the Alliance of Sahel States. The confederation has distanced itself from France and other Western partners, expelling troops and shuttering key cooperation agreements while cultivating closer security ties with Russia and Russian-linked mercenary formations.

The ICC, based in The Hague, is mandated to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression when national courts are unwilling or unable to act. Supporters argue that, despite its flaws, it remains the only permanent global tribunal capable of holding powerful actors to account for the gravest abuses.

In a statement responding to the notifications, the court warned that withdrawals risk undermining the collective pursuit of justice and weakening global efforts to end impunity. Human rights organisations have echoed that concern, noting that all three Sahel states face spiralling violence involving jihadist groups, community militias and state security forces, with civilians bearing the brunt.

The departures would further shrink the court’s reach at a time when several major powers, including China, India, Russia, the United States and Israel, remain outside the Rome Statute. Analysts say the Sahel withdrawals highlight a broader crisis of confidence in international justice among governments that see the court as politicised, even as victims’ groups fear losing one of the few remaining avenues for accountability.